SHOPPING

Finding the Best Antique Store is like finding a treasure map. The thrill of the hunt is on at Apple Dumplin’ Antiques and Collectibles! Find antique furniture, vintage jewelry, or decorative items. Or, best of all, find something that you didn’t even realize you needed.

Getting a new refrigerator or washing machine lets us splurge on something big, while remaining guilt-free knowing it is a practical purchase. Bonus: it’s got enough lights and buttons to make any tech lover a little giddy. Thank goodness we have Lowe’s to find the perfect giant gadget to help make our homes function with fun.

Best of Your Hometown shopping, best appliance store. Lowe's on Clemson Boulevard in Anderson.(Photo: INDEPENDENT MAIL)

Runner Up: Best Buy, 3601 Clemson Blvd., Anderson

Honorable Mention: Boone’s Appliances

Best Beer Store

Winner: Scrooge’s Spirits, 4414 Clemson Blvd., Anderson; 864.226.1643

When Scrooge’s Spirits talks about its better half, this year it will be talking about its beer side. They carry both domestic and imported beers, and also offer many local and regional brews. With a constant influx of new and interesting beers, customers can easily find bottled happiness.

Best of Your Hometown shopping best beer at best beer store, Scrooge's on Clemson Boulevard in Anderson. (Photo: INDEPENDENT MAIL)

Runner Up: ABV – Anderson Bine and Vine, 130 N. Main St., Anderson

Honorable Mention: Major Discount Wine and Liquor

Best Boutique

Winner: Swaggin’ Wagon, www.shopsmoore.com

Where’s the best place to find the perfect blue Chambray shirt? It depends on what day of the week it is. The Swaggin’ Wagon is a “mobile boutique,” popping up all over South Carolina, as well as festivals and events. Book a party, shop online, or catch her on the town to get hooked up with budget-friendly fashions…or to have her define “Chambray.”

Runner Up: Blake and Brady, 140 N. Main St., Anderson

Honorable Mention: Just a Small Town Girl

Best Cigar Shop

Winner: Piedmont Tobacco, 3300 N. Main St., Anderson; 864.224.4004

Piedmont Tobacco proves you don’t have to be a big shop to have big selection. In addition to magazines, lighters and everything else cigar-related, they’ve got the true goods to light up your day in a huge walk-in humidor with shelf upon shelf of cigars.

Runner Up: Club 134, 134 N. Main St., Anderson

Honorable Mention: The Cigar Bar

Best Distillery

Winner: Palmetto Moonshine, 200 W. Benson St., Anderson; 864.226.9917

Does it take the fun out of drinking moonshine if it’s legal? No way! Palmetto Moonshine, the first legal seller of moonshine in SC, has a huge distillery downtown and recently opened a store in the GSP airport, so now everyone can enjoy a little country in a jar from Anderson’s own Best Distillery.

Best of Your Hometown shopping, best distillery at Palmetto Distillery in downtown Anderson. (Photo: INDEPENDENT MAIL)

Runner Up: Six and Twenty, 3109 SC 153, Piedmont

Honorable Mention: Dark Corner Distillery

Best Fabric Store

Winner: Hobby Lobby, 172 Station Dr., Anderson; 864.224.2996

The time-honored tradition of making one’s own clothes, blankets, tablecloths and the like is rekindled when you walk into a place with great fabrics. Hobby Lobby has every kind of fabric for every kind of project, so go ahead and dig out that project from the closet, match it up, and get started.

Best of Your Hometown services, best fabric store at Hobby Lobby in Anderson. (Photo: INDEPENDENT MAIL)

A key to any town is its farmers, and Anderson County Farmers Market prides itself in being a showcase for local farmers to sell fresh, homegrown produce. You’ll may also find honey, jams and jellies, jewelry and locally-produced soaps, so stop in, go fresh, and go local on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays 8:00am-12:00pm.

Runner Up: Concord Produce, 208 Concord Road, Anderson

Honorable Mention: Callaham Brothers Orchard

Best Fashion Jewelry Store

Winner: Phil’s Jewelers, 116 N. Main St., Anderson; 864.226.7635

The line between fine and fashionable is perfectly balanced at Phil’s Jewelers, where they know all the trends and have accessories to complement all the latest fashions. Looking for something to go with your newest top just became a one-stop shop.

Best of Your Hometown shopping, best fashion jewelry and fine jewelry at Phil's Jewelers in downtown Anderson.(Photo: KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL)

Runner Up: Diamonds and Gold, 3124 N. Main St., Anderson

Honorable Mention: Just a Small Town Girl

Best Fine Jewelry Store

Winner: Diamonds and Gold, 3124 N. Main St., Anderson; 864.225.3320

At Diamonds and Gold, the staff are well educated in gemstones, and the fine jewelry there represents all the style and sophistication of a true jeweler. You can trust that the pieces are well-made, perhaps even choosing which stone(s) are perfect for you, with help from the welcoming staff at Anderson’s Best Fine Jewelry Store.

Runner Up: Phil’s Jewelers, 116 N. Main St., Anderson

Honorable Mention: Score’s Jewelers

Best Furniture Store

Winner: Hampton Furniture, 809 Whitehall Road, Anderson; 864.224.3541

Nothing makes a home like your furnishings, and Hampton Furniture has a beautiful showroom of all the possibilities for your home. From bedroom sets to living room furniture, the only thing that will make these designer styles even more exceptional is making them part of your home.

Runner Up: Maynard’s Home Furnishings, 725 Anderson St., Belton

Honorable Mention: Ashley Furniture

Best Gift/Specialty Shop

Winner: Kitchen Emporium, 311 N. Main St., Anderson; 864.225.2021

Kitchen gizmos, cookware and wine – oh my! It’s easy to see why Kitchen Emporium wins Anderson’s number one spot for Best Gift & Specialty Shop. It’s full of eclectic, useful gadgets that make cooking fun, and all kinds of kitchen décor and dishtowels that will put a smile on your face. Stop in, grab a bottle of wine and something special that you love, and get excited about cooking at home.

It could be the produce. It could be the selection of organic meats. But since it’s Publix, it’s probably the people. They help you find items, process meats, and prepare seafood, in addition to giving kids stickers and coloring books on the way out. Add in their coupon books and buy one, get one sales and no wonder our old school style grocery is the best.

When you want to do it yourself, you need…well, a helpful hardware person. White Jones has the knowledgeable staff and all the things for a do-it-yourselfer to fix up your home. In addition to paints and hinges, don’t forget to reward yourself with a seasonal smoker or something for the garden.

Runner Up: Lowe’s, 3515 Clemson Blvd. and 408 SC 28 Bypass, Anderson

Honorable Mention: Home Depot

Best Home and Decorating Business

Winner: Hobby Lobby, 172 Station Dr., Anderson; 864.224.2996

Looking for pieces to beautify your home is easy. All you have to do is walk down the aisles at Hobby Lobby, where their themed home décor is easy to match, and usually on sale. Take the stress out of home decorating and go an easy, empowering hunt.

Runner Up: Pier One, 120 Station Dr., Anderson

Honorable Mention: Cheek Interiors

Best Liquor Store

Winner: Scrooge’s Spirits, 4414 Clemson Blvd., Anderson; 864.226.1643

Scrooge’s is a house divided, and which side is the best? This year, they both are, as in addition to winning Best Beer Store, they were also voted Best Liquor Store. That can only mean one thing. A lot of Anderson locals will be stopping into this warehouse of the best booze in town.

Best of Your Hometown services, best liquor store at Scrooge's on Clemson Boulevard in Anderson. (Photo: KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL)

Going out on the lake means you must know some of the friendly staff at West Marine. If you’ve ever had boat engine trouble, or needed to send a propeller in for repair, it’s likely they helped you. No problems? Great! Keep up on maintenance here, then kick back in some new outdoor apparel and make use of their vast fishing supplies.

Runner Up: Strickland Marine, 4520 SC 24, Anderson

Honorable Mention: Academy Sports+Outdoors

Best Men’s Apparel

Winner: Belk, 3101 N. Main St., Anderson; 864.225.2511

A well-dressed man is a man with confidence. Belk’s men’s apparel encompasses all kinds of styles, from casual to business, so every mood of every man can be conveyed in confidence and style.

Best of Your Hometown services, best men's and women's apparel at Belk at The Anderson Mall on North Main Street. (Photo: KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL)

When Anderson thinks of the best music, it thinks in terms of musicality and talent. Draisen-Edwards Music encourages people to begin and develop their skills in every kind of musical instrument. And if by chance you’re attracted to something you don’t know how to play, they offer lessons, so go ahead and be part of the Best Music.

Runner Up: Rainbow Records, 2705 N. Main St., Anderson

Honorable Mention: Best Buy

Best New Car Dealer

Winner: Grainger Nissan, 3510 Clemson Blvd., Anderson; 844.583.0206

Often, the thrill of buying a new car is overshadowed by the stress of buying it. Grainger Nissan has some of the most well-designed vehicles in terms of both safety and design, and these local dealers will make sure you get in that new car with your joy intact.

Runner Up: Ralph Hayes Toyota, 3525 Clemson Blvd., Anderson

Honorable Mention: Piedmont Honda

Best Optical

Winner: Family Vision, 2808 E. North St., Anderson; 864.226.6041

This one isn’t to be taken for granted, so when Anderson voted Family Vision as Best Optical, it was really saying, “thank you.” Thank you for keeping our eyes focused on what’s really important, like health, good doctors and good people.

Best of Your Hometown shopping, best outdoor store at Grady's Great Outdoors in Anderson. (Photo: INDEPENDENT MAIL)

The kayaks outside of Grady’s Great Outdoors are like a beacon to outdoorsy people of all sorts. Anything from hunting gear and firearms to backpacks and sunglasses, is available at this mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. And even if the weather has you less than enthused, their outdoor apparel can make you cozy while firing up one of their best-selling Big Green Eggs. So go ahead and let Grady’s make the outdoors great again.

Have you ever thought you loved gardening, then realized you have no idea what you’re doing? Luckily, Whitten’s is a small garden center with a great selection and focus on service. They can give advice on virtually anything green, be it trees, shrubs or even pests and weeds, but their favorite is finding the perfect way to make your landscaping thrive.

Runner Up: Lowe’s, 3515 Clemson Blvd. and 408 SC 28 Bypass, Anderson

Honorable Mention: Concord Produce

Best Used Car Dealer

Winner: A&D Auto, 3489 E. River St., Anderson; 864.359.2503

A&D Auto’s selection of trucks and jeeps of various makes and models, as well as some SUVs and cars, makes the choice of your new used vehicle a tough one. Since they are up front about all the facts, so you know the mileage, what kind of shocks and what’s on the carfax report, at least the choice of where to buy is an easy one.

Runner Up: Wiles Auto Sales, 4301 SC 24, Anderson

Honorable Mention: Ralph Hayes Toyota

Best Wine Store

Winner: Scrooge’s Spirits, 4414 Clemson Blvd., Anderson; 864.226.1643

There’s no “Bah, humbug!” when it comes to wine. Even the spirit of Scrooge himself would have to twirl his glass and admit that having a good glass of wine puts a smile on your face. This year, it’s easy to remember where to find the Best Wine Store. It’s in the same building with the Best Beer Store and the Best Liquor Store. And it’s got a neon sign of the spirits to boot.

Runner Up: Kitchen Emporium, 311 N. Main St., Anderson

Honorable Mention: Total Wine

Best Women’s Apparel

Winner: Belk, 3101 N. Main St., Anderson; 864.225.2511

For many women, your choice of clothes shows part of who you are inside. Belk’s women’s apparel lets your personality shine in fashionable picks from a myriad of designers, making sure you look as beautiful as you feel.